Disclaimer: Batman and related characters are the properties of DC COMICS. This is an original fan fiction story, not written for profit and not intended to infringe on their copyright.
Final Countdown
By: Shannyn Grayson Ivy
"Okay brat bro, surely you've got a better move than that last one." Nightwing quipped as he once again threw his younger surrogate sibling to the mat. Robin groaned and tried to regain his dignity with an outward sweep, tripping Nightwing and sending him flying forward. Nightwing, ever the aerialist, was only momentarily off balance. Grabbing Robin in a playful headlock he issued the fatal blow to Robin's pride by rubbing Robin's head in nuggie fashion. As much as he struggled, the younger member of the Bat clan was still unable to break free. The playful exchange was interrupted when the Batcomputer sounded an unfamiliar alarm. The noise rattled the bats roosting above, adding their shrill squeals to the mix.
"Dude! What is that?" Robin yelled, obviously shaken. Any alarm that he was unfamiliar with had to be a bad sign.
"Um… well, let's see." Nightwing approached the computer with all the grace of a bull in the proverbial china shop. Robin winced as 'Wing set off three more alarms by trying to turn off the first. The sound was all but deafening but Robin still managed to make out a few curse words coming from his older 'brother'.
"Time to call Bruce." Robin offered as he handed Nightwing the phone. Nightwing put it back down and continued his exploration of the various knobs and buttons on the computer console.
"We can figure this out. We don't have to call him for everything you know." Nightwing's annoyed voice thundered, competing to be heard.
"Come on Dick! I can't take this much longer." Robin pleaded. He dialed Bruce's cell phone number and handed it over to Nightwing.
"Bruce Wayne."
"Um... yeah. Houston, this is Wing One, I think we have a problem. Do you copy Houston? Over."
Bruce attempted to show no surprise at his former ward's impromptu call. Sitting in the middle of a Wayne Enterprises board meeting, he could hardly discuss the situation at hand without giving away the business of his nighttime persona, the Batman.
"I understand. I'm on my way. Oh and son? It's the red one, at the top, third row, center."
"Well, that's a random place to put it." Nightwing quipped, not really surprised when Bruce hung up on him.
XXXXXXXXXX
Inside the watchtower, Barbara Gordon was taking a brief break from her ever vigilant watch as her alter ego, Oracle. Bantering back and forth with her best friend Dinah Lance, Barbara wheeled over to her custom kitchen and started to prepare lunch. The two friends laughed as Dinah shared the latest cute thing that little Lian Harper had pulled. Lian, the adorable pre-school daughter of Arsenal was a constant topic for the two women. Dinah, aka Black Canary, had been the girlfriend of Green Arrow for several years. His surrogate son Roy had become like her own son, thus making Lian like a granddaughter to her. The odd thing was Dinah herself wasn't old enough for the 'role' that her relationship with Oliver Queen threw her into. Still, she enjoyed Lian and having no children of her own, she watched in constant amazement as the child grew.
"Then she painted his face. It was hilarious!" Dinah laughed at the memory.
"Didn't Ollie wake up?"
"Are you kidding? Dinah exclaimed. "A tornado could have ripped through there and he wouldn't have noticed. He was dead to the world. Well... until her little paint brush tickled his mustache that is!" The two laughed at the thought of the young artist painting her masterpiece on Grandpa Ollie's face while he slept.
"So how are things going for the two of you?" Barbara hated to pry but she sensed her friend needed to talk.
"We're fine." Came the clipped reply.
"Uh huh." Barbara answered.
"We're… fine. Ollie is… well he's Ollie. He'll never change."
"Dinah, maybe it's time you made a change. If he isn't going too, then why stay?"
"I love him Barbara. You just don't understand."
"You're right. I don't. He's jealous, overbearing, abusive and cruel…"
"He's loving and fun and sensitive and caring…"
"How can you continue to defend someone that treats you so badly?"
"I didn't come here for this."
Barbara Gordon bit her bottom lip and decided to back off… for now anyway. She had no doubt that Oliver Queen was a good man, she did however, have her doubts that he was the right man for her best friend.
"Okay. Truce. Here take the soup to the table, I've got the bowls." Barbara wheeled into the dining room just in time to catch the Batman's call as it came through.
"Oracle."
"Here, Batman."
"Assemble the JLA, Titans and Young Justice, as well as the Gotham team. Have them meet me at the JLA Headquarters. ASAP."
"Batman, can I be of some help? I just finished up a case, so I have some free time."
Black Canary offered her services, unaware of how uncomfortable that made him. His first reaction was to tell her no, however there was no denying her incredible abilities in the field.
"Report to JLA Headquarters Canary. Batman out."
"Is he always so intense?" Dinah asked as Oracle readied herself to contact the others.
"Nightwing says he's not, that sometimes he actually even smiles. I can't say I put much stock in it though. I think it's a myth. Probably created by Batman himself to confuse us."
Oracle teased.
"You're probably right." Dinah agreed.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Thank you all for assembling so quickly. We have… a situation." Batman began. Aware that all eyes were on him, he struggled for a way to give the bad news. Once again, thankful for the mask he wore, a way to hide his feelings of uncertainty.
"At 1500 hours, an early warning detection device alerted that a meteor with the estimated impact probability of 700 m in diameter is on a trajectory that will intersect with Earth. If gone unabated, it will collide with us in less than seventy-two hours." Batman waited for this information to sink in. The whispers rushed around the room and then grew quiet, waiting for the Batman to continue the briefing.
"Superman and Green Lantern I want the two of you to go into space and check out the accuracy of the report. Do NOT attempt to break the asteroid at this time. Depending on its course, breaking it up could actually prove more dangerous for Earth's inhabitants. Superman, if possible I need a small piece of the asteroid for analysis. Robin, get in contact with Oracle. I want to know where and when this thing is going to hit. I expect a highly detailed report-ASAP. The rest of you are going to be utilized in the field. We'll need huge underground shelters built in key locations."
"You can't be serious? We can't just show up in some country and start digging a really big hole." Plastic Man stated, looking to others for their agreement.
"We have to be prepared in case efforts to stop the meteor fail. The only chance for life will be for those fortunate enough to be underground when it hits. People, we don't have much time. Enormous underground shelters must be built, equipped with rations to last throughout the dark period."
"How long is this dark period we're talking about Batman?" Black Canary asked, unsure that she really wanted to know. When he looked to her and then hesitated, a knot grew in her stomach.
"That depends on how much of the meteor we can deflect from the planet's surface." He knew he was stalling but looking into her soft blue eyes he found it almost impossible to tell her the whole truth.
"Worse case scenario Bat?" Green Arrow asked flatly, his arm coming to rest on Black Canary's shoulder. Batman looked away from them, preferring not to see the reaction in her blue eyes when he answered.
"Yeah, I want to know too. Is this as big as what killed the dinosaurs?" Argent asked. She was far less intimidated asking Batman questions than she was by the object hurling towards Earth.
"This is large enough to be catastrophic. Without proper steps to counter it, we are easily talking about a mass extinction event. The impact crater could produce light reductions and temperature disruptions similar to that of a nuclear winter."
"Sorry I asked." She whispered.
"What about the oceans Batman?" Aquaman's interest was obvious as was the worried look on the Atlantian's face.
"We are talking enough energy to be 10,000-100,000 megatons TNT equivalent, Aquaman. The amount of energy would cause a submarine avalanche moving at hundreds of miles per hour. The impact would cause an incredible modification to the seafloor with billions of gallons of water displaced by the huge tsunamis it would create. The devastation would be enormous and topside the coastlines would by devastated with waves possibly 100 meters high or more. Unless we can somehow alter its course, everyone on Earth will be affected."
"Batman? You mentioned effects like a nuclear winter. What does that mean?" Impulse asked, following Argent's lead.
"Large impacts have the capacity to blow out a hole in the atmosphere. The debris cloud would rise into the atmosphere and would encircle the globe, blocking out the sun. The exact amount of time spent in darkness is unknown but it would most certainly last years."
"You mean we'll have to be underground for… for years?" Superboy screamed.
"Yes. Those of us lucky enough to get to shelters in time…" Batman let his voice trail off, unwilling to say anything further.
"Batman, where is Nightwing?" Flash questioned. He was eager to speak to his best friend.
"He's probably already moved him to safety." Green Arrow injected. "Leaving everyone else's kids to do the grunt work."
"Ollie! You know Batman better than that!" Black Canary scowled. It seemed ridiculous to her that anyone would suggest such a ludicrous thing.
"No, I don't. And I'm wondering just how well you've gotten to know the Bat in my absence." Green Arrow's blonde eyebrows narrowed, closely scrutinizing his long time girlfriend. Her quick defense of the Bat was unlike her, sending off warning bells to his already suspicious mind.
"We don't have time for this." Batman growled.
"That's not an answer." Green Arrow challenged.
"It's the only one you're getting, archer." Batman turned to face the worried looks of a room full of heroes.
"Everyone find your name on the wall, you're assignment will be beside your name. If you are the team leader of your group, as indicated by a star alongside your name, then you will need to pick up an information packet explaining the areas where you will be building shelters. All the land and building materials have been donated and you're appearance in these countries has been cleared by the United Nations. In most cases you will have armies at your disposal to help with the 'grunt' work. Work hard and work fast. Good luck everyone."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Linda, hi. Yeah baby, everything's okay. I just wanted to hear your voice." Wally West hung his head low as he talked to his bride from a pay phone in Italy. He knew he couldn't explain to her the possible dangers the world was about to face. If he couldn't protect the woman he loved then he could at least save her from worrying for as long as possible.
"I won't be home for a few days baby. I'm in Europe. Huh? Oh no, same 'ole thing. World threat and all." He laughed weakly, hoping she wasn't able to read his concern.
"I'll call you tonight Linda. I love you Mrs. West. You too. Bye." Flash hung up the phone more determined than ever to find a way to make it through this crisis. He wouldn't lose Linda. He couldn't. Using his super speed he quickly caught up with the rest of his group, just outside of France.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Batman, I have them." Oracle's voice came across his earpiece. "They are closing in on the asteroid now. Stand by."
Batman paced back and forth inside the ready room in JLA Headquarters. All his hopes were in a visual confirmation stating that the data they had received was wrong. Alone in the ready room, Batman tried to prepare himself for the worst.
"Batman! Something's wrong!" Oracle shouted. "I'm patching you through to Superman and Green Lantern now."
All at once the sound of Superman screaming and Lantern's raised voice shot through the delicate earpiece.
"BATMAN! Superman is having some kind of a seizure. What... what should I do?" Lantern's worried tone told Batman just how serious the situation was.
"Kyle, bring him in. NOW!"
"What about the asteroid?"
"Bring back a piece of it if possible. I want to know what caused Superman's reaction. Is he alright?"
"He's unconscious now but alive."
"Bring him home Lantern. Batman out."
XXXXXXXXXX To Be Continued...